


How to [save] a life

by PKCreeper



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, It doesn't stay angsty for long, Kinda my first fanfic?, basically everyone is here, but there is also fluff, not too dialogue heavy, quite a lot of introspection, slow progression, the tags will be updated if needed as we go, this will be a long ride so buckle up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 13:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17623406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PKCreeper/pseuds/PKCreeper
Summary: When you reset a game, things always go back the same right?---Somewhat inspired by "Resolve" from QuiteALotOFSodaPop. Thank you for writing such a cool fanfic and inspiring this AU!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> How to [save] a life  
> An unofficial work of fiction by PKCreeper  
> Inspired by the fanfic “Resolve” by QuiteAlotOfSodaPop

**_Chapter 1: Arrival_ **

_Part 1: How to [save] a life?_

            It always ended the same.

            A battle. Someone being saved. The barrier breaking. Happiness… For a while. There was always some left behind. People Frisk couldn’t save… And it drove them mad, not being able to give _everyone_ the happy ending they deserved. So that’s why they reset. Repeatedly. Always paying attention to what they did and with whom they interacted, so maybe they’d find a way to trigger something _different_ next time, so maybe they’d find a way to save everyone…

            Those thoughts ran through Friskʼs head as they once again sat upon the bed of golden flowers that marked the spot under the hole in the underground. The reason as to why they jumped down here was still fresh and stinging in their mind. But for now, they could not allow themselves to dwindle in such thoughts, Toriel would certainly come looking for them if they took too long and they were afraid to change the pattern they already had.

            As they got up from the flowers, they finally noticed how quiet their mind had been. Where was Chara? Their ghostly companion was never quiet for long. Even when they fought the silence never stretched. Frisk thought it was because both had created some sort of special bond throughout their adventure… or maybe they disliked being alone now that they had Frisk.

            Now slightly worried Frisk wondered if maybe they hadn’t upset Chara in some way to receive the silent treatment. They knew it wouldn’t last but still didn’t like the thought of hurting their friends. Stood by the door that would take them to the room where Flowey would talk to them for the “first” time Frisk first mentally calculated how long they had until Toriel showed up. Well, if they didn’t make noise, she would take enough time for them to solve this Chara mystery… maybe. With that in mind they sat down once again by the door and pondered what they could’ve possibly have done, all the while gently prodding their mind to see if Chara would answer.

            Was Chara upset because of the constant resets? When Frisk first reset trying to discover how to save Asriel, Chara had been hesitant. Sure, they also felt that there _was_ a way to give their brother a second chance. And they also felt guilty for what happened to him… they blamed themselves for his death and wanted to redeem themselves somehow. But, just like Frisk, they had no idea _how_ to save Asriel. And, just like Frisk, they disliked stripping the monsters of their memories and starting over and over again… even more so when a certain skeleton started dropping hints that they knew something was happening… they both hated doing this. It felt cruel, and if Sans’ behavior in the more recent runs was any clue… it _was_ cruel… Frisk knew they were probably a horrible person for doing this, but it _would_ pay off as soon as they saved _everyone_.

            It had to pay off. And they would save everyone. Sooner or later.

            As Frisk ruminated these thoughts over and over, trying to discover why else would Chara be so _quiet_ (it was starting to make them quite anxious to be honest) a familiar presence made themselves be heard to the curled-up form by the door to the underground. Frisk looked up in surprise at the soft gasp they heard. They weren’t really paying attention, deep in their thoughts as they were, and didn’t see Toriel approach their location. Well so much for trying to keep the pattern going.

“Heavens! A human!” Toriel said, her voice soft as ever. Never hinting any aggression or annoyance at them. Frisk liked that. It made them feel safe. Also made leaving her and resetting all that much harder.

            As Toriel fussed over Frisk, explaining how she hadn’t even seen them at first, and how she usually came by to see if any humans had fallen into the underground. Frisk caught themselves noticing yet another absence… Flowey very rarely gave up the chance to speak to them (Frisk couldn’t even remember the last time he _didn’t_ show up actually) and as they walked with Toriel to the Ruins they looked at his usual spot and found it empty.

            This run was getting weirder by the second…

            At least the Ruins walkthrough with Toriel was normal. They solved the puzzles, spared the dummy _and_ all the monster along the way, walked along the long corridor without Toriel, chose a pie flavor (only for it to be butterscotch-cinnamon anyways, not that they were complaining)… but they had to admit Chara never left their thoughts. They were so used to their voice in the back of their mind helping them in the battles and providing commentary on everything around them. It made them feel like they were in a video game.

            And now their head was quiet. Their worry was growing by the minute because they simply _didn’t know what was going on_. Where was Chara? Why were they being so quiet? Where did Flowey go? Why weren’t those two things following the pattern? The runs were always the same, more or less, and Frisk took a sense of safety from it. Always knowing what was going to happen and how to appropriately react to it removed the chances of Frisk screwing something up and hurting someone, and they hated to think of hurting someone because they said or did something wrong. Frisk wanted to curl up and cry. But they were approaching the entrance to Toriel’s house where they would meet her, and they didn’t want to worry her.

            As they crossed the doors that lead there, they fixed their eyes on the tall tree that always stood by the entrance to the tidy house Toriel kept here on the Ruins. The branches of the tree were bare as always, and its leaves piled up around it on the ground. But as they approached, they saw something that made them stop dead in their tracks and let out a surprised noise that seemed to attract the attention of both Toriel, looking worried over Frisk’s state after going through the ruins alone, and a tall, confused-looking human, standing by the tree.

            Frisk could only watch as Toriel too saw the figure by the tree and felt a surprise of her own as her words echoed through the Ruins’ walls.

“Chara?!”

 

_End of Part 1_


	2. Chapter 1: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to [save] a life  
> An unofficial work of fiction by PKCreeper  
> Inspired by the fanfic “Resolve” by QuiteAlotOfSodaPop

**_Chapter 1: Arrival_ **

_Part 2: Surprise Uprooting_

            It always started the same.

            Except this time, it didn’t.

            Starting the same was an integral part of resets. The whole point of it was that the one who chose to reset be dropped on the exact spot they started at, with everything being the same every time. So, when something changed _right at the beginning_ , one might think something went very wrong.

            It was true that when Frisk reset Flowey did not retain any memory from the run, but he did know they existed, so he learned to always associate waking up in his usual spot by the Ruins door with a new reset. And that’s exactly what he did, and he expected to be greeted with the same sights he was accustomed to. Only this time it was _different_.

            At first, he didn’t quite register what was different. Some part of his mind screamed at him the wrongness of the current scenario, but the rest of him hadn’t _quite_ caught up yet. So, his eyes kinda wandered and made note of the scene before him as if it was no big deal.

            For starters, he was not planted in the ground, and he could see legs. The legs wore light brown pants that ended in dark brown shoes. He also could see a torso, dressed in white, long sleeved, buttoned shirt. Humans hands greeted him at the end of said sleeves.

            Just then his mind decided it was good timing to _finally_ send the signal that _something was very wrong_.

            Startled by the fact that apparently this unknown human body was _very_ close to him, Flowey tried to distance himself from it. Instead only managing to back himself (and the body) into a wall nearby. That was when it clicked to him.

            _This body was him._

            He could _feel_ this body. It _moved_ when he moved. Therefore, it _must_ be him… But _why_ was he a _human_ instead of _his normal body_. Why even was he not in his flower form? What had happened to cause this? The resets were always the same… it made no sense for this sudden change.

            Flowey felt his breathing picking up as he looked at himself. The same feeling of dread and panic setting in as it had when he first woke up as a flower. Except this time, he knew not to shout for help because _it had gone so well the first time hadn’t it_.

            He had to go, had to hide somewhere. He couldn’t be seen like this until he could stop his mind turning into a tornado of thoughts. Luckily, he knew just the place, a corner of the Ruins no one usually entered, where he could clear his mind and _think_ without being interrupted.

            As he walked, he was glad for two things: The Ruins seemed to be empty for now, the monsters that usually inhabited it probably still asleep, and the puzzles were still unarmed for the day. While good things, still weren’t enough to distract Flowey of how _weird_ it felt to walk and not burrow into the ground like he used to. When he got up from the floor, he half expected to fall back on it because of the time he had gone without _legs_ … But after a few steps things looked well enough that he was not going to fall.

            What exactly had happened on this run? Flowey really wished he retained _some_ sort of memory from the previous runs when Frisk reset because maybe then he’d be able to piece this puzzle together. But no, he could never remember then, he only knew about them from his own time resetting.

            Would anything else be different? While part of him was excited for some change, the other part of him was _terrified_ because things changed, and he didn’t know what he was or what was going on. It felt like walking in the dark while blindfolded and someone shouted in your ear wrong directions.

            He hated this, hated the first time it happened and hated it now. Waking up in a foreign body for reasons he _didn’t_ know, _alone_ in a cave where everyone thought he was _long dead_ or hated him. He didn’t know _why_ he couldn’t have just _stayed dead_ the first time or perhaps the other times he had tried to put an end to this nightmare of an existence as a soulless plant stuck in a time loop. And when _that_ did not work, he decided the most _brilliant_ and _logical_ solution would of course be to _kill everyone he held dear_.

            It’s not like he didn’t _know_ it was wrong, he just couldn’t _feel_ the wrongness anymore. It drove Flowey mad, to be alone and not be able to feel like he once had, and when he found out he could distract himself a little from this curse by killing everyone, and he could just reset and nobody would remember… Oh boy that did _not_ do anyone any good.

            Until, of course, Flowey discovered that a certain smiley trash bag remembered, and would try anything to put a stop the plant’s plans of “fun” since then. That put a hinder on Flowey’s plans but it was a good distraction nonetheless, evading Sans’ attacks and such throughout each run.

            He stopped thinking for a while when he finally reached his location. He found it in one of his first runs after he… Woke up. It was smaller than he remembered but maybe that’s why he was a plant when he found it…

            He sat down. Thoughts still swirling around. Too much was going on at once and he needed the quiet of this hiding place.

            Slowly Flowey went through everything that happened. He woke up in a strange body… Again. He didn’t really notice anything else different, _apart from going to sleep a soulless flower and waking up apparently in a human body…_ Wait… Did he…?

            Carefully he put his hand to his chest (He had hands… And a chest…) and focused on the process of summoning forth someone’s soul, half expecting nothing to happen, but then… There it was. A soul.

            It was white and shaped like a Monster’s soul, but it had a small bit of red around it and was held up with what seemed to be vines. That… Didn’t make sense, why did his soul look like a monster’s soul if he looked human? Did that mean he still had his magic? If so… _Which_ magic was it?

            He extended his arm a bit and concentrated, prying for any magic to manifest, to see what would come out. To his surprise, and simultaneous disappointment, a circle of “Friendliness” Pellets manifested itself around his wrist… A part of Flowey hoped that _maybe_ he could’ve regained _his_ magic back… But seems like he was still trapped with plant magic…

            And that revelation opened a whole new can of worms… He _looked_ human, and yet retained _magic_ … Just what exactly _was he_.

            Then a voice calling out a name broke his train of thoughts. It was far away but still loud enough for him to clearly make out what the voice was saying. And it made his soul seize in panic once again, for it called a name he hadn’t heard in a _very_ long time…

“Chara?!” Flowey heard Toriel’s voice call out from the distance.

_End of Part 2_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters coming soon and I hope you have a nice day :D


	3. Chapter 1: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to [save] a life  
> An unofficial work of fiction by PKCreeper  
> Inspired by the fanfic “Resolve” by QuiteAlotOfSodaPop

**_Chapter 1: Arrival_ **

_Part 3: Of flesh and bone_

 

It was always the same.

            A reset felt very alike to falling asleep, Chara mused. Darkness would envelop their ghostly form and consciousness would elude them as the world around them would dissolve into the yellow light of the save point. Sounds and echoes from their run would run past their senses while they floated through the void back to the beginning. Back to the bed of flowers where Frisk would land and awaken their spirit, bonding their souls together with a shared interest and trait.

            Then why were they awake before Frisk this time?

            They looked around. Frisk hadn’t even fallen into the underground yet. The bed of flowers that they knew held their grave was empty of any short determined human. Instead the flowers were quietly observing their surroundings. Quiet as always.

            Maybe this run would be a bit different? Maybe they were making progress towards their goal of finally saving Asriel? Maybe they could _finally_ stop resetting and Frisk and everyone else could live in peace in the surface?

            These thoughts flared some hope into Chara’s being. As they stood up to pace around the flowers waiting for Frisk. Then, realization hit them.

            They were standing.

            And walking.

            Not floating.

            They could feel their surroundings. Their steps made noise. They could feel the weight of their flesh and bones. They could breath, and blink and touch.

            They were alive.

            Their legs gave up at this crash of reality. How were they alive? Why were they alive? Where was Frisk? What did they do differently this time to cause such outcome? _Why were they alive?_

            It’s not like they hadn’t _thought_ of the possibility of them being brought back from the dead. It was always a thought in the back of their mind. A silly childish fantasy. They knew they were dead and dead humans didn’t come back from their graves just like that. Although sometimes they had entertained these thoughts, but they had known it was nigh impossible.

            And then there was the fact that they did not _want_ to be brought back. While they were alive, they brought nothing but doom and misfortune for those around them, so why would they deserve another shot at ruining even more things? They were an aberration, a demon, something that shouldn’t exist. They deserved the eternity of oblivion where they could not hurt anyone. The only reason they were partial to their ghostly form was that they couldn’t really hurt anyone like that, and they had a chance to at least redeem themselves through Frisk. Frisk was the one who deserved the happy ending. Frisk was not a demon or tainted like them. Frisk was good.

            When Frisk told them their plan of finding some way to save Asriel, Chara felt guilty, as if they had dragged that innocent child into their own problems. But Frisk had made it clear that it was also their wish to see Asriel happy, and to help Chara achieve some kind of peace. Still didn’t make the process of resetting over and over any less traumatic. For most monsters, a reset felt more like waking up from a long dream with a faraway sense of déjà vu. But for some, namely a certain short skeleton, it felt like being trapped in purgatory where everyday was the same because they remembered more than others. Felt like walking through molasses and never reaching their goal. Felt like beating against a wall and never seeing it move an inch no matter how strong you beat it.

            Chara and Frisk hated resetting.

            But they had a mission.

            Finally breaking from their thoughts, Chara looked around to still not see any sign of Frisk. They were growing antsy. Hungry for answers and progress. They felt as if they couldn’t quite keep waiting for Frisk to show up. But it was no problem if they went exploring a little, right? The Ruins were small, Frisk could find them when they showed up.

            With that they got up and began to silent walk through the Ruins, which was far different than floating through it tagging along Frisk. They felt lonelier somehow, with the way their steps echoed through the stone walls and pillars, and how the darkness was only broken with the sparse cracks on the ceiling. It felt eerie and abandoned, although Chara knew monsters lived just a few steps ahead.

            Flowey was nowhere to be seen. Which, if Chara was honest, was a very good thing. They despised the damn thing. They hated how it was a distorted and corrupted puppet of their brother. Hated its voice, broken and too high, almost demonic. Hated its appearance, reminding them of some creepy puppets they’d seen in the surface a long time ago before they fell. Hated how everything about Flowey was a stark contrast against the pure soul that was Asriel.

            They wanted to uproot the thing and step on it until it was dust. But it was their only hope of bringing Asriel back, seeing as it contained his essence, so Chara curbed these feelings, instead they choose to keep walking through the Ruins.

            The Ruins felt very different when you were walking through it alone and Chara was glad Frisk had them as company. Oddly enough they didn’t encounter any monster, almost as if they had gone to sleep and hadn’t woken up yet. The puzzles were also de-activated, which meant some monster had probably solved them in boredom and Toriel hadn’t re-armed them yet.

            Chara stopped to think about Toriel, who they once called Mother.

            They loved the Dreemurs, they really did. They were the first people to give Chara a proper family and show the first human what love felt like. Chara wanted no more than to make them proud and happy. That’s why they had devised the plan to poison themselves in the first place. They knew that if they had stayed for too long things would get bad, seeing as their very presence was always a curse, so they wanted to at least leave on a high note. They had wanted to do something useful with their life.

            But that had failed.

            And they had caused even more hurt to the people they loved so dearly.

            They couldn’t lie to themselves. Every time they saw Toriel they felt an ache where their heart would be (and now is), they missed her dearly, but also knew she had probably gotten over them already. She had had so many children since Chara died, so many to make her proud instead of failing like they had. It hurt a bit to see the way she looked at Frisk, with love that once was theirs. But they knew Frisk deserved it more, so they tended to just swallow those feelings and thoughts.

            They pressed on through the ruins. They were still empty and eerie. But at least there was some light, which helped a bit.

            Chara knew the Underground like the palm of their hand and the ruins were no exception. So, they navigated through it with ease, even more so with the puzzles deactivated. They were so lost in thought as they slowly made their way through that they were caught by surprise when they were suddenly called into a fight. The area around them turning dark save for their silhouette and their soul.

            Of course they had their soul back. They were alive once more. But it caught them by surprise to see it there in front of them, red and pulsating with determination.

            Looking up to see their opponent they saw Napstablook. They had forgotten about how the ghost usually was found laying down on this spot. And with everyone else missing Chara had thought Napstablook would also not show up.

“Oh… It’s you… Where is your friend? I always see you two together…” The ghost droned on its mouth barely moving (although Chara liked Blookie, they had to admit they were kinda creepy)

“You remember me?” _That_ caught them by surprise. Napstablook remembered them? And also, Blookie could _see_ them all this time?

“Well… Yeah… You’re the one who says I don’t have a sense of humor… Kinda rude… But I forgive you, you and your friend are always nice to me in the end…”

            Now Chara remembered, they would sometimes comment on how Napstablook looked like a monster who had no sense of humor. The thing was, Chara never really thought Napstablook heard _them_. But… Seeing as Napstablook was also a ghost, just like Chara (once) was… Would make sense for them to see the fallen human.

“I’m very sorry for that. I was unaware that you could hear me.” Chara tried, in the politest tone they could muster. They were truly sorry for hurting the ghost’s feelings; monsters in the underground didn’t deserve such thing.

“Oh… It’s ok… I’m not even mad about it anymore I’m sorry for bothering you with it… Is your friend not with you this time? Sorry for asking… I don’t dislike your company… I was just curious… Please don’t think I hate you…”

“Oh, please don’t be upset. It’s ok. Fr-- My friend may show up at any time. I’m simply going ahead this time while they are not here.”

“I see… Tell them I said hi… And that I’m sorry I had to go now… But I’ll see you two later… If you want… It’s ok if you don’t want… I’m sorry…” As the ghost talked it turned more and more transparent, until it disappeared.

            Chara stopped to process the newly acquired information. They sincerely thought the only ones aware of resets were Flowey and Sans. If Napstablook also remembered, did anyone else too? They ruminated these thoughts as they made their way through the rest of the Ruins. Well, they wanted answers and progress, didn’t they? Seems like they got it.

            They didn’t really pay attention to their steps until they hit the tree at the entrance to Toriel’s house. Home.

            It hadn’t changed much since they first fell on the Underground. It had remained the same through time. The only change being the air of sorrow that hung through the place. As emptiness and loneliness mixed in with desperation and isolation. It _felt_ different yet _looked_ the same…

            They stopped by the big tree in the middle, looking up into its branches, drawn to the way no leaves ever stayed on it and always fell on the ground. Red dry leaves cracking as the now alive child stood on them. Chara felt the smell of the Ruins air as it mixed with the smell of the plants that inhabited the place, vines, leaves and wood mixing in with the stagnant air of the oldest part of the Underground. The human also felt the roughness of the tree’s bark on their fingertips, how it was _real_ and _there_ … And how they were also _real_ and _there_.

            They really were alive…

            Suddenly Chara heard steps. One pair of light steps, maybe from a child, that stopped by the door to the room they were in. And a pair of heavier steps quickly making their way towards the child by the door. And inevitably stumbling upon the figure by the tree. Chara couldn’t move. Everything was happening way too fast. They turned their head towards the figure looming over them so fast they almost gave themselves whiplash and then--

“Chara?!” Toriel almost yelled their name.

 

_End of Chapter 1_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! More chapters coming soon and I hope you have a nice day :D


End file.
